The present invention relates to fluid rotors and pertains particularly to a rotor for wind and the like.
The recovery of energy from flowing fluids, such as water and air, has been a significant source of power for many centuries. Various designs of windmills and water wheels have been known for a considerable period of time. Water wheels have also been used for running mills and various other devices or plants requiring power. Hydraulic turbines are in use today in many regions for producing hydro-electric power. Such turbines convert the kinetic energy of a flowing water to electrical energy by rotating the turbines and the like.
Because of the decreasing supply of low cost energy in the form of fossil fuels and the like, a considerable amount of interest is again directed towards the extraction of energy from fluids such as wind and flowing water. Devices for such energy extraction is expected to become more important in the coming years.
Many different designs of wind and water turbines or rotors are known in the art. The various designs of the prior art each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Considering wind turbines for example, among the disadvantages of such wind devices include the inability to respond to the many different speeds or velocities of wind. Wind typically varies from time to time, from very low velocities to very high velocities.
Many of such designs are not suitable for high wind conditions. Many of the prior art designs use many different approaches to compensate for various wind conditions and for high wind conditions. Many of these result in a considerable loss of the energy from the wind.
Many prior art devices which are designed for high wind conditions utilize large thin long blades which operate at very high speeds and develop high forces. Such devices, however, are expensive to design and engineer and must be kept balanced in order to avoid destruction in high wind conditions.
Accordingly, it is desirable that high wind turbines be available which are responsive both to high winds and low winds and are not subject to the problems of the prior art.